WitEden Octahedral Mixup I

WitEden Octahedral Mixup I

WitEden Octahedral Mixup I is an octahedron-shaped puzzle built on a 3x3 Mixup mechanism. From the outside, it looks like two square pyramids joined at their bases. The moves, however, differ from a classic octahedron, because the Mixup mechanism lets you turn the middle layers by 45 degrees. This means you can swap centers and edges, and after just a few moves the puzzle completely loses its regular shape. Version I has a fully octahedral shape, without the irregular sections found in, for example, version IV.

How the Mixup mechanism works

On a regular 3x3 cube, a center always stays a center and an edge stays an edge. On a Mixup, once you turn a middle layer by 45 degrees, you can make moves that bring centers into edge positions and vice versa. When solving, you need to track not only the colors but also which pieces have ended up in "foreign" positions. Combined with the octahedral shape, this gives you a puzzle that, once scrambled, looks very little like its starting point.

What to expect when solving

This is a collector's puzzle for relaxed solving, not a cube for setting times. With Mixup mechanisms, you should expect lockups and catching, especially when a layer is not perfectly aligned before the next move. Turning more slowly and keeping an eye on layer alignment helps. Knowing a 3x3 method is very useful, but algorithms alone won't be enough. You'll need to work out your own solutions for the swapped centers and edges.

Who is it for?

For people who already solve the 3x3 and are looking for something new, and for collectors of shape mods and shape-shifting puzzles. Due to its difficulty, it's a poor choice for a first puzzle. WitEden's Octahedral Mixup series includes several versions with different shapes and mechanics. This one is labeled I.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: WitEden
• Type: octahedral shape mod with a 3x3 Mixup mechanism
• Size: approx. 65.5 mm
• Dimensions: approx. 63 x 61.6 x 61 mm
• Weight: approx. 130 g
• Color: Black